Challenges Face Amb. Hoagland as a new Karabakh Peace Negotiator

Washington hopes its newly appointed top negotiators' extensive diplomatic experience will be "critical" in seeking a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, TURAN's US correspondent
was told by a State Department official.

Later last week the U.S. embassies in Armenia and Azerbaijan announced that Ambassador Richard Hoagland will assume the co-chair position for the Minsk Group, on an interim basis starting today. His predecessor,  Amb, James Warlick, stepped down on Dec 31.

Amb. Hoagland brings over 30 years of diplomatic experience to the position. Most recently he led U.S.-Russian military coordination for the Cessation of Hostilities in Syria and served as principal deputy assistant secretary at the State Department.

In July, 2015, Hoagland visited Baku to discuss regional cooperation initiatives, including the draft of a new "Silk Road".

The U.S., along with France and Russia, has long been co-chairing the Minsk Group in trying to reach a deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia that would end a two decades-old conflict.

Yet the process has stalled again and again, causing some to say it was time for "new actors" to take the stage, even though complexities on the ground indicate neither side will make concessions significant enough to create space for a deal no matter who is trying to mediate.

Speaking to TURAN's correspondent, several Caucasus analysts in Washington expressed their concerns over possible challenges that the new negotiator will face in his position. The main challenge, they believe, will be convincing incoming U.S. Administration's to insert itself into the volatile Azeri-Armenian dispute, which is highly doubtful,  a source said.

Even if that's not the case, President Trump will likely need to replace Hoagland with a new diplomat to avoid
any criticism from the region.

In 2007, Hoagland was named by the administration of then-President George Bush to serve as U.S. ambassador to Armenia however he was blocked at the Senate during a congressional confirmation process as he had declined to publicly describe the 1915 event in Ottoman Turkey as "genocide."

A.Raufoglu
Washingon